I contacted several professional pet search teams and even tried using some esoteric methods, setting out scissors in a bowl of water to pray that Sammy would return home soon.
And somehow, the scissors technique seemed eerily accurate.
That night, I got a message from the search team.
My cat was dead.
She had stumbled out of the house and was hit by a speeding car. They had found her in a trash bin.
Her once-glossy fur was matted with coagulated black blood, covered in the stench of garbage.
I carried my beloved Sammy back home and placed her in her favorite bed, carefully cleaning the dirt from her body.
When I uncovered her lifeless green eyes, I couldn't help but feel like she would suddenly come back to life and nuzzle my feet again.
I stared at her, tears quietly streaming down my face, the numbness taking over.
Even when Vivienne entered the room, I didn't look up.
"Miss, I'm so sorry, really sorry. I didn't mean it. I didn't know the door wasn't closed properly last night—"
Vivienne spoke cautiously, but before she could finish, Aldric shoved her to the floor. "What are you doing here? Get out of here!"
The noise was unbearable.
I could barely find the strength to speak, my voice weak: "Just get out."
But Aldric ignored me, moving closer. "Yamilet, It's okay. Don't be too sad."
"And didn't you always complain about her shedding so much?"
Aldric fumbled with his phone, finally unlocking it after several failed attempts. He quickly opened a black-and-white photo of a Devon Rex cat.
"Look, I've already reserved a show-quality Devon Rex for you. It's a kitten. We can raise it from when it's small, okay?"
"NO!"
I slapped Aldric hard across the face.
The final string inside me snapped, and tears poured out of me like a dam had broken. "You're a monster, Aldric!"
"Did you forget? My parents never approved of us being together. They thought you were an illegitimate child, that your mother had a poor reputation. They said your family background shaped who you were. You were never a good person!"
"I was so stupid, hiding it from them, going to N City University, running away with you!"
"Sammy was always holding onto the hem of my pants back then."
"I said to her, 'Do you want to come with me?'"
"She meowed and followed me, and I took her with me." Sammy had been a beautiful long-haired calico cat, a hero in our town for catching rats.
I always saw her marching proudly around the nearby stores. With just a small snack, she would catch all the rats in the store, keeping it clean.
She was independent, always running off, but whenever I called her name, she would come running, roll on her back, and rub against my ankles.
Eventually, I brought her to this strange city. I tightened my belt, saving every penny just to buy chicken breast for her.
I thought she was too wild to adjust, and I prepared myself for her to make a mess in our small apartment, to tear things up.
But she never did. Not once.
She was more like a child to me than a pet. No, she was my child.
"Aldric, you killed my child."
I stood up, holding Sammy in my arms, the heat rising to my head. I wanted Vivienne dead. I wanted Aldric dead. My child was gone, and yet they were still standing here, saying whatever nonsense they could.
I grabbed the rusted scissors from the water. Decency? Goodbyes? Those were all meaningless.
I lunged, and the sharp sound of the blade slicing through flesh echoed in the room. The knife plunged into Aldric's chest.
Vivienne screamed, threatening to call the police from behind Aldric.
Aldric quickly turned to look at me. "Yamilet, I'm not doing this for her. I'm doing it for you." Cedric also took the scissors from my hand. "Don't do this."
I turned and walked away, holding my cat, trying to clear my mind with the cold wind. I didn't want Sammy to suffer from her mother's madness.
I stood on the R Bridge, a famous landmark in N City.
Below, the water sparkled as a few riverboats sped by. On the opposite bank was the city's central business district, with towering skyscrapers. The cold wind blew against my face, and I gazed at the tall building in the distance with the neon lights flashing the words "I Love N City" in bright letters.
Everything felt both strange and familiar. The chill in the wind forced an overwhelming sense of confusion on me. I didn't know why I stayed here anymore. I even felt like I was losing sight of the purpose of being alive.
I didn't want to die, but I couldn't control the impulse to dive into the dark river below.
Cedric quickly stepped forward, pulling me down from the edge, his arms tightly holding me. "Yamilet! What are you doing?!"
I was dragged away in a daze, my gaze falling on a row of food stalls across the bridge. The faded sign of "Home-style Restaurant" suddenly jumped into my view.
The word "Home" felt like someone was hammering them directly into my eyes. Tears filled up without warning.
I wanted to go home so badly.
I missed my parents so much. Why didn't I listen to them back then?
Go home then.
The thought spread like wildfire in my mind, overwhelming me completely.
